Electron discharge device



Oct. 31, 1933.

c. w. HALLER 1,933,110

ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE v Filed March 19} 1931 72 's w; '7 zb ys- Patented Oct. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE Cyrus W. Haller, Salem, Mass,

assignor to Hygrade Sylvania Corporation, Salem, Mass, a corporation of 7 Massachusetts Application March 19, 1931. Serial No..'523,7 01

13 Claims.

In radio tubes and other electron discharge devices, of both thermionic and gaseous conduction types, it is essential that the electrodes, such as filaments, grids and plates, be held in properly spaced relationship, since even slight relative displacement seriously affects the operating characteristics of such devices and substantial relative displacement may result in short circuits. While it is comparatively easy to estab 'lish the correct spacing in the manufacture of the tubes, owing to the inherent fragility of such devices difiiculty has been experienced. in maintaining the initial relationship during shipment and use.

Objects of the present invention are to provide such devices with means for maintaining the aforesaid relationship which are not only effective for the intended purpose but at the same time are light and inexpensive and can be applied with facility and without substantially increasing the time or cost of manufacture.

For the purpose of illustrating the genus of the invention a typical concrete embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a radio tube of the type 71A, with the glass broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. p

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a base 1, a support in theform of a reentrant glass stem 2, a plate electrode 3 of the fiat tubular type, an M-shaped filament 4 having its top points supported on top insulating plate 5 by means of posts 6 and fine wires land having its bottom mid-point supported by a fine wire 8 on post 9, a grid wound spirally about the grid-supporting posts 10 in the 'space between the filament and the plate and posts 11 for supporting the plate 3 at its opposite sides. Each of the posts 9, 10 and 11 projectsthrough the upper insulating plate 5 and one or more of the posts may be anchored thereto. The filament is supplied with current through the supporting wires 12 and the grid posts 10 are welded to lead-in wires 13. As usual the wires 9, 11, 12 and 13 are relatively heavy and are sealed into the stem 2.

According to this invention the wires 9, 11, 12 and 13 are held in position intermediate the stem 2 and the electrodes by means of a plate or sheet 14 of mica or other suitable insulating material. This sheet is provided with two aligned slots 15 each of which accommodates one of the two sets! of wires 11, 12 and 13. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the portions of thesewires which extend through theplate 14 are bent or inclined outwardly so that the filament wires 12 overlap the insulating plate on vthe under side at the inner ends of the slots and the plate wires 11 overlap the insulating plate on the upper side at the outer ends of the slots, whereby upward displacement of the sheet 14 is obstructed by the wires 11 and downward displacement of the sheet 5'; is resisted by the wires 12.

It will be understood that the insulating sheet 14 is placed in position before the electrodes are mounted on the wires 11, 12 and 13, the sheet being moved downwardly over the upper ends 70.;-

of the wires to a position underneath the overhanging portions of the wires 11 by flexing these two wires inwardly enough to permit the sheet to reach the position shown in Fig. 3 after which the upper portions of thewires 11 may befiexed outwardly to normal position if indeed they do notsnap to this position by their own resiliency.

As shown in Fig. 4 the wire 9, which merely serves as a support and not as a lead-in conductor, has an oiiset portion 16 intermediate 30; the stem 2 and the plate 14 so that it passes through the plate at a point offset from theline of the slots 15. The plate 14 is anchoredto the supporting wire 9 by means of an eyelet having an annular flange 17 at one end and havinglthe 35* other end slit longitudinally at four places to provide two tabs 13 which are clinched down over the upper sideof the sheet 14 and two lips 19 which are spot welded to the support 9. It. will of course be understood that the eyelet is 90, applied to the sheet 14 by clinching over the tabs 18 before the sheet is applied to the wires 9, 11,12 and -13. 7

By providing slots 15, instead of individual perforations for the respective wires, assembly 953 of the parts is greatly facilitated and, in use, there is much less leakage between the conductors 11, 12 and 13 inasmuch as the insulating sheet does not bridge the spaces between the conductors, thereby reducing leakage through the sheet and along the surfaces of the sheet.

By arranging the conductors 11, 12 and 13 in the same vertical plane, with the slots in align-- ment in this plane, and anchoring the sheet to a post 9 at a point offsetfrom this plane, the structure is not only more effective in maintaining the electrodes in proper relative position but at the same time the construction is simplified.

It should be understood that the present dis- I10 closure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of th appended claims.

I claim:

1. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet'of insulating material having openings therein, and a plurality of pairs of conductors from the electrodes all said conductors being bent, with the bent portions extending through said openings in juxtaposition to the peripheries of the openings, different conductors having bends in different directions relatively to the sheet to prevent upward and downward displacement of the sheet.

2. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having openings therein and conductors extending from the electrodes through said openings in juxtaposition to the peripheries of the openings and obliquely to the sheet, certain of said conductors being inclined in one direction in relation to the sheet and the remainder of said conductors being inclined in an opposite direction.

3. An electron discharge device comprising space electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having a slot therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through slot near the ends of the slot respectively, conductor at one end of the slot overlapping one side of the sheet and the conductor at the other end of the slot overlapping the other sideof the sheet.

4. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having a slot therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through said slot near the ends of the slot respectively, both conductors being inclined to the sheet in the same direction longitudinally of the slot so that they overlap opposite sides of the sheet respectively.

5. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having slots therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through said slots near one end of each slot respectively, the conductor in one slot overlapping one side of the sheet and the conductor in the other slot overlapping the other side of the sheet.

6. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material. having slots therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through said slots near the ends of the slots respectively, the conductor at one end of each slot overlapping one side of the sheet and the conductor at the other end of each slot overlapping the other side of the sheet.

7. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having slots therein, and conductors extending fromthe electrodes through said slots near the ends of the slots respectively, the conductors heing inclined to the sheet in different directions in two slots respectively.

8. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having two aligned slots therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through said slots near one end of each slot respectively, said conductors being bent in opposite directions longitudinally of the slots so as to overlap the sheet on the same side.

9. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, a sheet of insulating material having two aligned slots therein, and conductors extending from the electrodes through said slots near the ends or" the slots respectively, the conductors being bent in opposite directions in the two slots respectively so that transverse displacement of the sheet is obstructed in both directions at the ends of each slot.

10.1111 electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, 2. sheet of insulating material having two aligned slots therein, conductors extending from the electrodes through said slots near one nd of each slot respectively, said conductors ng bent in opposite directions longitudinally oi the slots so as to overlap the sheet on. the same si e, and a support for said sheet oiiset from the line of said slots.

ll. An electron discharge device comprising spaced electrodes, sheet of insulating material having two ali ned slots therein, conductors exfrom the electrodes through said slots ends of the slots respectively, the conductors being bent in opposite directions in the two slots respectively so that transverse displacement the sheet is obstructed in both directions at the ends of each slot, and a support for said sheet oiiset from the line of said slots.

16. An electron discharge device comprising a p urality of elect "odes, a support spaced from the e ectrodes, a sheet of insulating material disposed in the space between the electrodes and support, the sheet having openings disposed so that opening is intersected by a single plane perpendlcularto the sheet, conductors secured to the support and having inclined portions extend ng obliquely to the sheet and through said open 's', said conductors being connected to said electrodes respectively, and a post extending from the support to a point of connection with said sheet in offset relation to said plane.

13. I a device of the character described the coral. nation of a press, a plurality 0'1" wires sealed into said press in substantially the same plane, an insulated member having a pair of aligned elor slots, each slot positioned to receive one Ward displacement of said member.

CYRUS W. HALLER. 

